{"id":15125,"date":"2026-01-23T21:15:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T21:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=15125"},"modified":"2026-01-23T21:15:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T21:15:34","slug":"england-fans-at-world-cup-was-gianni-infantino-fair-about-behaviour-of-supporters-at-past-tournaments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=15125","title":{"rendered":"England fans at World Cup: Was Gianni Infantino fair about behaviour of supporters at past tournaments"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Infantino’s comments were made directly in relation to World Cup appearances. <\/p>\n

It is fair to make the point that since France 1998 there has only been one World Cup (Germany 2026) which has been easily accessible for English fans.<\/p>\n

At the 2002 World Cup<\/b>, England played all five of their matches in Japan. <\/p>\n

There was only one arrest for violence or public disorder among the 8,000 supporters who flew to Asia. <\/p>\n

In Germany for the 2006 World Cup<\/b> an estimated 350,000 watched games in stadia and at fan parks. Yet there were just 21 arrests for football-related offences. <\/p>\n

The most violent scenes at the tournament surrounded a game between Germany and Poland when 429 arrests were made<\/a>, including 119 from Poland and 278 from the host nation.<\/p>\n

The next two World Cups were long-distance affairs in Africa and South America.<\/p>\n

Recorded figures show that, contrary Infantino’s claim, there were no England fans arrested at the 2010 World Cup<\/b> in South Africa – an estimated 30,000 made the journey.<\/p>\n

In Brazil for the 2014 World Cup<\/b> there were 15 football-related arrests – none for violence – among the 20,000 travelling fans. Thirteen were for ticket touting and two for offences against property.<\/p>\n

The 2018 World Cup<\/b> saw the tournament return to Europe in Russia. Some 20,000 England fans visited, with six arrests, of which four were for football-related anti-social behaviour.<\/p>\n

Only around 4,000 supporters made the journey to the 2022 World Cup <\/b>in Qatar which, as Infantino said, saw no arrests for supporters of England or Wales, who had also qualified.<\/p>\n

Across six tournaments in total, there were 55 arrests out of 432,000 fans, with 28 non-violent offences.<\/p>\n

There are no available comparison figures for other nations – but that single Germany and Poland game at the 2006 tournament was eight times England’s total over six World Cups.<\/p>\n

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, national lead for football policing said: “For the record, ‘British’ fans behaving at World Cups is the norm, not something special.<\/p>\n

“While these things may be said in jest, it is neither helpful nor accurate to make this sort of comment.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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